Main menu

Confederate Flag Raised Once Again At South Carolina Capitol After Activist Takes It Down (Video)

The Confederate flag has been restored at the state house in Columbia, South Carolina, after an activist climbed the flagpole and removed it on Saturday morning.

According to reports, activist Bree Newsome climbed up the 30-foot pole with the help of a harness and removed the flag. While on the pole, officers yelled at Newsome to come down.

“You cannot get to me with hatred and oppression and violence,” she yelled. “I come to do this in the name of God. This flag comes down today."

As she came down the flagpole, Newsome recited prayers and assured officers that she knew the consequences of her actions.

Popular Video

A police officer saw a young black couple drive by and pulled them over. What he did next left them stunned:

Popular Video

A police officer saw a young black couple drive by and pulled them over. What he did next left them stunned:

“I’m coming down,” she said. “I’m prepared to be arrested.”

Once off the pole, a crowd of supporters cheered. Newsome was subsequently placed in handcuffs and escorted out of the state house property by police. Newsome’s actions were praised by supporters of the flag’s removal, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, who took to Twitter to applaud the activist.

“We thank God that Bree Newsome had the courage to take the flag down,” Jackson tweeted.

The flag has been the center of nationwide debate since the recent massacre of nine African-Americans in a Charleston church by a white supremacist. Many South Carolina officials, including Governor Nikki Haley, have called for the flag to come down from the state house grounds in Columbia.

President Obama even addressed the Confederate flag during his eulogy of Rev. Clementa Pinckney — one of the nine people killed in Charleston — on Friday afternoon.

“For many — black and white — that flag was a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation," Obama said. "We see that now."